This invention is referred to in Disclosure Document Number 475867 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Jun. 19, 2000.
This invention fits into the general category of inventions for cleaning objects. More specifically, this invention fits into the category for removing adhesives from smooth solid surfaces. In particular, this invention comprises a composition, methods, and apparatus for removing adhesive residues from smooth solid surfaces such as glass or ceramic oven burners.
It is a common problem that often a person will wish to remove adhesives and like substances from glass, hard plastics, or other similar non-porous surfaces. The substance to be removed may be the residue associated with the removal of a sticker or tape. The substance to be removed may be a heel mark, tar, gum, or other gooey substances. The substance to be removed may be as thin as a stain or more solid in composition.
Sometimes, a person will try to remove adhesives from a smooth surface by scraping the adhesives off with a knife or a razor blade, but this method is slow and it often leaves the surface marred by unintentional cuts or abrasions.
Prior art in this area of technology includes the following: Motsenbocker in U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,989 describes a liquid composition for releasing adhesives from a surface which allows pressure sensitive labels to be lifted from a surface. His preferred water-based formulation includes xylene, kerosene, water, surfactants, and butylcellosolve. His preferred non-water based composition includes xylene, trichloroethylene, kerosene, light mineral oil, and lemon oil.
Reininger in U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,254 describes a liquid composition for removal of adhesives from tapes, labels, and stickers. His preferred formulation includes methyl ethyl ketone, xylene, toluene, and mineral spirits.
Foley, Metheney, and Tucker in U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,967 describe a method and apparatus for removing labels from surfaces. Their apparatus is designed to apply the liquid solvents hexane or heptane to the labels, whereupon the solvents loosen the label adhesives enough for the labels to be removed.
The apparatus to be described in the invention to be presented here is well known in the public domain prior art as a device for applying adhesives to surfaces, as in glue sticks and lipsticks, but does not appear before now to have been used as a device for removing adhesives from surfaces.
There are three problems with the above compositions, methods, and apparatus. First, the compositions in all three cases are in the forms of liquids containing volatile organic chemicals that are unhealthy and potentially toxic for human beings to breathe or absorb through the skin. Second, because the above compositions are liquid, they have a tendency to spread further than desired, thereby creating a mess. Third, because of the ingredients used in the above compositions, the said compositions do not have a pleasant smell unless perfumes or other pleasant smelling odorants are included in their composition. This last factor also increases the cost and complexity of their manufacture.
It is an object of the present invention to present a dry, pleasant-smelling composition for the removal of adhesives from smooth surfaces. It is a further object of the present invention to disclose a method for making the dry composition for removing adhesives from smooth surfaces. It is also an object of the present invention to describe an apparatus for using the said dry composition so as to remove adhesives from smooth surfaces. Finally, it is a further object of the present invention to describe a method for applying the dry composition so as to remove adhesives from a smooth surface.
As to the composition for removing adhesives from smooth surfaces, this inventor found by experimentation that a mixture of 2 volumes of packed sodium bicarbonate and 1 volume of rubber cement, when allowed to dry for 24 hours, forms an ideal dry composition for removing adhesives from smooth surfaces.
Sodium bicarbonate, a white crystalline compound, also known as baking soda, has the chemical formula NaHCO3. Sodium bicarbonate is known to be a pleasant-smelling, completely non-toxic, mild abrasive, used both in cooking recipes and also to clean metal surfaces.
Rubber cement is a viscous liquid mixture of heptane, isopropanol, and natural rubber. Rubber is an amorphous, elastic, solid polymer of isoprene, and has the chemical formula (C5H8)n.
When the mixture of sodium bicarbonate and rubber cement is allowed to dry for 24 hours, the heptane and isopropanol in the rubber cement evaporates out of the mixture, leaving only dry sodium bicarbonate embedded in a rubber matrix. The inventor found by experimentation that a 1:1 (vol./vol.) sodium bicarbonate:rubber cement formulation resulted in a dry composition that was too rubbery to be a good adhesive remover, and that a 3:1 (vol./vol.) sodium bicarbonate:rubber cement formulation resulted in a dry composition that was too powdery to be a good adhesive remover.
After the sodium bicarbonate has been thoroughly mixed with the rubber cement and before the mixture is allowed to dry, the mixture is poured in a cylindrical mold, whereupon it is allowed to dry for 24 hours, whereupon it has a faint, pleasant odor.
After the mixture has dried, the solidified composition is removed and placed into a tube-type apparatus, or dispenser, which will now be described.